How to make the best Minnesota wild rice soup with these easy tips

The Minneapolis Star Tribune has stitched together elements from more than 60 iterations of Minnesota wild rice soup they have published since 1975 to create what they think is a timeless version of wild rice soup, one where the star ingredient’s appealing virtues take center stage. Flexibility is one of this formula’s strongest selling points.

Want more wild rice? Add it. Don’t like carrots? Leave them out. Creminis aren’t the only mushrooms that work well; try others. Instead of chicken, use turkey, ham or bacon. Or duck, pheasant or goose. If you can find smoked versions, so much the better (smoked whitefish or salmon are especially good), because that fireside flavor goes hand in hand with wild rice.

Skip the animal proteins entirely and keep it vegetarian – tender wild rice is enough of a star – or go vegan and drop the cream, substitute olive oil or sunflower oil for the butter and enlist a mushroom or vegetable broth. Stir in spinach, broccoli, asparagus or other favorite green vegetable.

I’m not a fan of those super-thick, super-creamy wild rice soups – the dairy invariably smothers the delicate nuttiness of the wild rice – so I removed the flour (and, in some recipes, cornstarch) and cut way back on the cream, leaving a bit in for body but not enough to turn it into a savory melted sundae.

Many recipes used sherry, and a lot of it. For me, the impulse is right – this formula, even with just a small amount of cream, requires a splash of acid – but sherry felt overbearing (and who has a bottle of sherry on hand?). I replaced it with white wine, but white wine vinegar works, too.

Over the years, many wild rice soup recipes stretched the recipe’s boundaries by incorporating Canadian bacon, pimento, clam juice, Tabasco sauce, roasted tomatoes, cream of mushroom soup, Worcestershire sauce, cinnamon, pumpkin and other off-kilter ingredients. Let’s leave them in the past.

By the way, this soup is delicious the next day, or the day after. Just remember that when reheating, add more chicken stock, as the wild rice will absorb whatever liquid is in the soup.

One final tip: When cooking wild rice – manoomin in Ojibwe, Zizania aquatica in Latin – why not use chicken stock instead of water? You’ll be layering in more flavor.

Minnesota wild rice soup

Serves 6 to 8.

Note: To toast almonds, place nuts in a dry skillet over medium heat, and cook, stirring (or shaking the pan frequently) until they just begin to release their fragrance, about 2 to 3 minutes.

1 cup raw wild rice

4 tablespoons (½ stick) unsalted butter

1 yellow onion, diced

1 ½ cups sliced cremini mushrooms

2 large or 3 small carrots, peeled and diced

3 ribs celery, diced

2 bay leaves

6 cups low-sodium chicken stock

2 cups chopped or pulled roasted chicken, skin and bones removed

¼ cup heavy cream

2 tablespoons white wine (or 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar)

2 teaspoons salt

1 ½ teaspoons freshly ground black pepper

1 teaspoon freshly chopped thyme leaves

2 tablespoons freshly chopped flat-leaf parsley

¼ cup slivered almonds, toasted (see Note)

To prepare wild rice: When cooked, wild rice generally triples in volume. Varieties differ, so follow cooking instructions on package. Place 1 cup wild rice in a fine-mesh strainer and rinse under hot tap water for 30 seconds. Add rinsed wild rice to 3 cups water in a saucepan over high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover and simmer until rice has absorbed the liquid and is tender, 15 to 20 minutes for hand-harvested wild rice, about 60 minutes for commercially harvested wild rice. Remove from heat and reserve.

To prepare soup: In a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat, melt butter. Add onion and sauté until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add mushrooms, carrots and celery, and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes.

Add bay leaves and chicken stock. Increase heat to high, bring to a boil, then decrease heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes. Add cooked wild rice, chicken, cream, white wine (or white wine vinegar), salt, pepper and thyme. Stir, and cook until warmed through, about 5 minutes.

Remove bay leaves. Taste and adjust seasonings as necessary. Ladle into bowls, garnish with parsley and almonds, and serve hot.

Nutrition information per each of 8 servings: 290 calories, 14 g fat, 705 mg sodium, 24 g carbohydrates, 6 g saturated fat, 3 g total sugars, 18 g protein, 50 mg cholesterol, 3 g dietary fiber

Exchanges per serving: 1 1⁄2 starch, 2 lean protein, 1 1⁄2 fat.

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